- November 4, 2024
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Ralph Franklin, 99, cuts the birthday cake with a sword.
Ralph Franklin, Zach Wiegele and Major General Jarvis Lynch
Thomas Smith and Phil Reilly
Master Gunnery Sergeant Kim Miller and Master Gunnery Sergeant Vickie Yanics
Sergeant Brooke Weston and Sergeant Lou Mikos
Walter Mattson and William Burchette
A cake cutting ceremony is a major part of the Marine Corps birthday.
Major General Jarvis Lynch, Sarasota Military Academy student Henry Duval and Tom Roadley
Jim Govostes, Bill Slater and Lamar Moxley
Thomas Smith holds his phone to the microphone to play "The Marines' Hymn" for the group.
The crowd stands for "The Marines' Hymn."
Lieutenant Colonel Rolland Freeman and his son, Mark Freeman, left.
"The few, the proud" gathered on Nov. 10 at Marina Jack to celebrate the United States Marine Corps' 244th birthday.
Started 17 years ago by former Public Defender Elliott Metcalfe, the event draws in around 160 Marines each year.
The luncheon featured a cake cutting ceremony where the oldest Marine cuts the birthday cake and gives the first piece to the youngest marine. This year Ralph Franklin, 99, passed the first piece of cake to Zach Wiegele, 26. The event ends with the guests singing "The Marines' Hymn."
Thomas Smith, the event organizer, said the event is a time for Marines to come together and celebrate their brotherhood over a meal.
"The majority of these men don't know each other, but what they have in common is that they're Marines," Smith said. " From ages 26-99."
